Suffolk to Normandy
Horse transport from Newmarket to Deauville
England to Normandy for the sales and the racing, and the lane where the Border Control Post appointment is the whole job.
This is a long journey: 8.2 hours door to door, over the 8-hour threshold.
Your carrier needs Type 2 authorisation, not Type 1. Check this before you book.
This crosses a border, so vet certification and paperwork drive the timeline, not the drive.
Newmarket to Deauville is the French half of the bloodstock calendar: the August sales, the racing, the studs. Physically it is a modest journey, around 300 km down to Folkestone, thirty five minutes under the Channel, then roughly 250 km through Normandy. Legally it is an export to the EU, and the single most important thing on the whole route is the Border Control Post appointment.
If you cross at Calais, the SIVEP appointment must be booked seventy two hours before departure. The post runs from 08:30 to 18:00 and takes a maximum of twenty five trucks a day. Without that appointment the horse is refused entry to EU territory and turned straight back to the UK. The Eurotunnel route uses the Boulogne and Coquelles SIVEP instead, and Eurotunnel limits the number of horse transporters during holiday periods.
On LeShuttle specifically, horses travel on passenger shuttles only, never freight shuttles, with a maximum of five animals per vehicle unless it is a competition or show with proof. Booking goes through Eurotunnel’s nominated transporters, and only on receipt of the vehicle approval certificate under Article 18(2), the transporter authorisation and the certificate of competence. If your carrier cannot produce those three documents, the crossing will not be booked.
One more distinction that catches people: a registered horse can use a Border Control Post approved for registered equines, which is a lighter route. An unregistered horse is classified as an ungulate and needs a post approved for that category, and not every equine post accepts them. Check the specific post before you book the crossing, not after.
The crossing
- At sea
- 35 min
- Allow terminal to terminal
- 1 h 30 min
- Check in before departure
- 60 min
- Border Control Post
- Boulogne / Coquelles SIVEP
- Indicative crossing cost
- £220 to £480
Horses accepted on PASSENGER shuttles only, never freight shuttles. Maximum 5 animals per vehicle unless it is a competition or show with proof. Booking only through Eurotunnel’s nominated transporters, and only on receipt of the vehicle approval certificate under Article 18(2), transporter authorisation and certificate of competence. Eurotunnel limits horse transporter numbers in holiday periods.
Not every crossing will take a horse, and the exceptions are not obvious. Use the planner to see the alternatives on this route with their real operator policies.
What this journey requires
For one registered horse moved by a paid transporter. Change any of those and the list changes, which is what the planner is for.
- Horse passport owner
Must travel with the horse for every journey, including short domestic moves. Keep it in the cab, not the tack locker.
- Type 2 transporter authorisation carrier
Required for commercial journeys over 8 hours. A Type 1 authorisation is not enough. This is the single most common reason a booking falls over.
Lead time: Held in advance by the carrier
- Certificate of Competence carrier
The driver and any attendant handling the horses each need one.
- Vehicle approval certificate carrier
The vehicle itself must be inspected and approved for long journeys. Ferry operators and Eurotunnel ask to see this, or the manufacturer’s ventilation documentation, under Article 18(2).
- Satellite navigation system carrier
Mandatory on long-journey vehicles. Records must be kept for three years.
- Contingency plan carrier
A written plan for breakdown, delay, injury or refusal at the border.
- Journey log carrier
Required for long international journeys. Registered horses not going to market or slaughter have a lighter route, but a log is still needed for commercial long journeys into the EU, approved by APHA before departure and again by the first EU member state of entry.
Lead time: Submit to APHA at least 10 working days before departure
- Export Health Certificate vet
Signed by an Official Veterinarian. Obtained through the DEFRA form finder for the destination country.
Lead time: Start 3 to 4 weeks out
- EIA (Coggins) blood test within 30 days vet
Permanent export: the equine infectious anaemia test must be within 30 days of travel. Lab turnaround is the usual cause of a missed sailing.
Lead time: Within 30 days of travel
- Residency and isolation period owner
A 30 to 40 day residency or isolation period applies before export. Plan backwards from the travel date, not forwards from today.
Lead time: 30 to 40 days before departure
- Border Control Post approved for registered equines carrier
Registered horses may use BCPs approved for registered equines. The appointment must be pre-booked and the crossing matched to it.
Lead time: Calais requires the appointment 72 hours before departure
- EU-issued transporter documentation carrier
A UK transporter authorisation is not recognised by the EU. A commercial transporter needs transport documentation issued by an EU27 member state. Check your carrier holds one before you book.
- Customs notification owner or carrier
Customs declaration and, for transit movements, a T1 document. CPH number needed.
- Individual partitions required carrier
Horses must travel in individual partitions on roll-on/roll-off ferries, and on journeys over 8 hours. A mare travelling with her own foal is the only exception.
- Rest and watering plan carrier
On a long journey the horses must be watered and, depending on total duration, rested. Water on board is a condition of most approvals and is what port vets check first.
Watch out
- Every horse entering the EU must clear a Border Control Post, and the appointment has to be booked before you travel. Confirm with your carrier which post they will use and that it accepts horses.
Indicative cost
Estimates built from published rate cards and marketplace benchmarks, not live carrier pricing. Hard loaders, stallions, mares in foal and vet referrals sit at or above the top of the band.
Questions people ask about this route
How far ahead do I need to book the Border Control Post?
For Calais, seventy two hours before departure. The post operates 08:30 to 18:00 with a maximum of twenty five trucks a day. Without the appointment the horse is refused entry and returned to the UK.
Can a horse travel through the Channel Tunnel?
Yes, on LeShuttle passenger shuttles only, never freight shuttles. Maximum five animals per vehicle unless it is a competition or show with proof, booked through Eurotunnel’s nominated transporters, and only once the vehicle approval certificate, transporter authorisation and certificate of competence have been provided.
Does it matter whether the horse is registered?
Yes. A registered horse may use a Border Control Post approved for registered equines. An unregistered horse is treated as an ungulate and needs a post approved for that category, and not all equine posts accept them.
Is a journey log needed?
For a commercial long journey into the EU, yes, approved by APHA before departure and again by the first EU member state of entry. A horse holding a valid FEI Recognition Card is exempt.